Moti Bagh Palace (National Institute of Sports)

Moti Bagh Palace is the grandest of Patiala's royal buildings, a sprawling complex of courtyards, reception halls, and garden pavilions built by successive Maharajas in a mixture of Punjabi, Mughal, and European styles. The Old Moti Bagh portion now houses the National Institute of Sports — Asia's largest sports training institution — and while the main palace is not generally open to the public, the grounds and some outbuildings can be visited.

Separate from the Old Moti Bagh is the Sheesh Mahal (mirrored palace), a 19th-century jewel set within a landscaped garden with a lake and suspension bridge. The Sheesh Mahal houses the North Zone Cultural Centre, founded in 1985, which organises performances and exhibitions. The interiors, including the famous mirrored chambers, are genuinely spectacular and the complex is open to visitors.

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A story
Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala was one of the most flamboyant rulers of British India — famous for his cricket team, his enormous emerald necklace (loaned to display at the 1928 Paris Exhibition), and his stable of 10 Rolls-Royces. When he complained that Rolls-Royce salespeople had been dismissive of him in London, he reportedly bought all the available cars in the city, shipped them home, and used them as rubbish collectors.